Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Cary Caffrey

DID YOU CHOOSE TO SELF-PUBLISH OR GO THE TRADITIONAL
ROUTE? WHY?

Indy-publishing
all the way! Going Indy is the best (and I believe the smartest) route for any
new writer in today’s market.

I’ve
been very lucky in that I’ve worked in and around the entertainment industry
nearly all my life. I’ve worked for publishers, and I’ve had publishers working
for me. Both experiences made me want to go the independent route. It’s
wonderful time to be an independently published writer.

HOW
DO YOU OVERCOME WRITER'S BLOCK?

When
I figure it out I’ll let you know!

Seriously
though, the key for me is to never let myself get bogged down, and to make sure
I keep slogging along. I wage a daily war with my confidence (or lack thereof).
I’m not sure if that’s writer’s block or anxiety. What came as a surprise to me
is that this anxiety got worse, not better, after the success of my first
novel. Perhaps that’s the pressure of added expectations (expectations I put on
myself, not from readers). My readers have been great. Super-supportive.
They’re my main source of inspiration to keep moving forward. Readers are my
cure for writer’s block.

WHAT
BOOKS HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING?

Anything
by Harry Harrison! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read Deathworld,
Homeworld or the Stainless Steel Rat.

ANY MOVIE, ANY BOOK...WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE ANTAGONIST?

Do
comics count? It’s a toss-up between Mr. Freeze or Clayface. Two of the most
tragic villains in the history of literature!

DO
YOU BUY A BOOK BY THE COVER?

Absolutely.
I freely admit I’m attracted to shiny things. I’m a very visual person. I love
visual arts. Painting, photography, graphic-design, I love it all. I’m
constantly drawn to great cover art, and I have a particular weakness for bold
covers featuring powerful, swashbuckling heroines.

HAVE
YOU EVER WRITTEN ABOUT YOUR OWN BAD HABITS?

Always!
I wouldn’t trust a writer who wasn’t willing to put the worst of themselves on
the page. Someone asked me once (about writing): aren’t you worried that people
will think it’s you? My answer was: if you’re not worried about that—if you’re
trying to hide, or disguise yourself—you’re not doing your job.

WHICH WORDS OR PHRASES DO YOU TEND TO OVERUSE?

Apparently
in the first edit of TGfA I used the word ‘managed’ nine-thousand,
four-hundred and fifty-seven times.

DO
YOU HAVE ANOTHER JOB BESIDES AUTHOR?

When
I saw the Indy-eBook explosion I decided it was time to take the plunge and do
this full time. I don’t know how people write and hold down a day-job. If I had
a job I’d be a terrible employee. Or worse, a terrible writer!

WHAT
IS YOUR MOTTO?

Risk
everything (they can’t say “yes” if you don’t ask).

WHAT
TALENT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE?

I
always wished I was a better guitar player. I never got beyond ‘passable-hack,’ but
I know in my heart I wanted to be a guitar hero.

WHAT’S
THE BIGGEST LIE YOU’VE EVER TOLD?

That
I’m really a woman. I can’t help it. I have clothes envy. Dresses, high heels… I
would have made an awesome drag queen (if only I were taller!).

HAVE
YOU EVER BEEN IN TROUBLE WITH THE AUTHORITIES?

Let’s
just say, spending a night in the “slammer” was a life-altering
experience. It definitely made me stop and take a hard look at myself—who
I was, what I was doing and where I was going.

I
almost think everyone should go to jail at least once. Nothing makes you
appreciate freedom more than having it taken away.

DO YOU THINK THE UNITED STATES IS SECRETLY A MIRROR UNIVERSE OF CANADA, LIKE
THE STAR TREK EPISODE, WHERE THE UNITED STATES IS THE EVIL DIMENSION?

Full
disclosure: I’m Canadian.

There
may have been a time when the US was the evil counter-verse of Canada, but
unfortunately Canada’s conservatives appear extremely eager to adopt all of the
worst traits of American Tea-Party/Republicanisms. Our conservative government
is currently under fire for trying to adopt such popular Republican policies as
voter suppression, for-profit prisons, and they’re doing their damnedest to
dismantle our public health-care system and de-fund education.

And
let’s not forget oil (Keystone pipeline). The Cons want to pump as much oil as
they can, as fast as they can, through the United States, even though the pipes
are leaking all over the place.

If
anything, it appears a giant wormhole has opened up in the space-time continuum
and plunked Canada right alongside the US in that mirror universe.

HAVE YOU SEEN MY SHOES?

No,
but would love to! I should imagine they are quite lovely. I’m picturing a pair
of shiny black pumps, perhaps with those fancy red soles you see everywhere
these days.

WHY DIDN'T HURLEY LOSE ANY WEIGHT WHILE ON THE ISLAND?

What!
Oh, my goodness, this is too easy. Because the dead don’t lose
weight! In fact, it was Hurley’s bulk that gave away the whole ending back in
season two.

BONUS QUESTION: WHY DO VILLIANS PREFER LONG HAIR CATS
INSTEAD OF
HAIRLESS CATS? HAIRLESS CATS ARE MUCH MORE EVIL LOOKING. SEEMS LIKE A
MISSED OPPORTUNITY.

Ah!
But you see, you’re approaching the question from the wrong angle. Villains
(oh, sorry—villians) are almost always misunderstood. After all, the
best villians are really heroes trapped in the wrong story.
And they don’t see themselves as evil at all, so, when you think about it, the
fact that they prefer fluffy kittens only makes good
sense.

ABOUT
THE BOOK

IF
YOU GAVE ONE OF YOUR CHARACTERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES, WHAT
WOULD THEY SAY?

“Sorry
about your face!”

Actually,
that’s a line from Borderlands (something Paige says), but I really wish I’d
written it for Suko. It’s definitely something she’d say, probably after laying
the smack down on some unsuspecting thug.

WHERE
DID YOUR TOMORROW SPRING FROM? IN OTHER WORDS, HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE
CRAZY WORLD?

That
one’s easy too. I feel as though we’re already living in a
crazy dystopian future. A study came out recently showing how Americans are
actually already living in an oligarchy and not a democracy (https://www.commondreams.org/view/2014/04/14). The study showed
extremely specific examples of how public policy in the US is dictated, not by
overwhelming public opinion, but by the whims of a very small minority of
wealthy and elite corporatists. Take gun control, for instance. 88% of
Americans want stricter gun laws, but even with that overwhelming support
nothing’s been done. If anything, we keep moving toward more liberal gun-laws,
as evidenced by what just happened in Georgia (guns in schools and bars! Yay!
What could go wrong?). And how about what happened last week with the FCC? They
actually killed net neutrality, paving the way for internet
monopolies (say goodbye to freedom of the online press as we know it). These
are just two examples of a globally unpopular policies that are turned into a
laws to service a very small number of people in the
upper-fringes of society.

Call
it a corporatocracy, an oligarchy or plutocracy, this is not how democracy is
supposed to work.

Oh,
and before you label me a conspiracy theorist, remember what Noam Chomsky said
(and I’m paraphrasing): It’s not a conspiracy theory. It’s just good
observation.

HOW
DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA FOR THIS STORY?

See
above!

Actually,
the idea came about completely by accident. The original draft was quite
different. Sigrid Novak (the main character), was supposed to be a secondary
character, but the moment she hit the page (in the original, she doesn’t appear
until page 56!) I fell in love with her. I knew I had to learn absolutely
everything about her. Who was this incredible woman, what drove her, and how
the heck did she get the way she was? I immediately I tossed the draft I was
working on and started writing Sigrid’s story.

DID
YOU DO ANY SPECIFIC OR UNUSUAL RESEARCH FOR THIS BOOK?

I
had to do a lot of research into martial arts. I spent a great
deal of time reading about jujitsu and watching lots of videos. It was very
important that the more physical acts of combat be real. I was fortunate that
one of my early alpha-readers was experienced in Jujitsu, as well. She came to
my rescue on a number of occasions.

DID
YOU HAVE TO CONDUCT ANY EXPERIMENTS FOR THIS BOOK?

Only
for the naughtier parts.

IS
THERE ANY SUPER-COOL FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGY/WEAPONRY IN YOUR TOMORROW?

What’s
scifi without cool tech! TGfA features some seriously overpowered
ballistic weapons. Who doesn’t want a hulking 18 mm recoilless sidearm strapped
to their thigh! I mean, that is hot.

WHO SHOULD NOT READ YOUR BOOK?

Bigoted,
intolerant, ideological, hateful people. These people would best be served by
avoiding my book at all costs. Judging from some of the angrier responses
I’ve received since publication, there are still certain people in this world
who do not like to think about 'non-traditional'
relationships. Apparently, even 350 years into the future, such things are
still 'ew, icky gross!’

ARE
ANY OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS FROM THE LGBT (LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND
TRANSGENDER) COMMUNITY.

I
think that falls under the category of ‘yes,’ though one of my
favorite things about the book is that, at no time ever, does the subject of
sexuality or gender come up. No one is ever labeled gay or lesbian, and you’ll
never find any of the characters questioning or struggling with their
sexuality. No one’s ever worried about what *gasp* their friends or family
might think. Gender, sexuality, it’s a non-issue. And I’m just so tired of
books or movies that play coy with a character’s sexuality, making readers
guess “are they? aren’t they? Will they? Won’t they?” It’s just
silly. Let them be out and about. And for goodness sake, let them be happy!

GIVE
YOUR BOOK THE BECHDEL TEST

1.IT HAS TO HAVE AT
LEAST TWO (NAMED) WOMEN IN IT: Check.

2.WHO TALK TO EACH
OTHER: Definitely!

3.ABOUT SOMETHING
BESIDES A MAN: Who are these ‘men’ of which you speak? This is
The Girls from Alcyone.

PICK
ONE OF YOUR CHARACTERS AND APPLY THE SIX DEGREES OF KEVIN BACON.
GO!

I don’t know how to connect those dots, but I know
that I have a six degree connection with Mr. Bacon (but
doesn’t everyone). My connection is thanks to a song I wrote and a TV show
featuring Rick(y) Schroder. It’s a crazy six-degree world.

WHO WOULD PLAY YOUR MAIN CHARACTER IN A MOVIE?

Easiest
question on the planet! Elle Fanning (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1102577/?ref_=tt_cl_i4). She absolutely is
(young) Sigrid Novak. If we start preproduction on the movie now, Elle will be
the perfect age to start filming in two or three years.

YOUR
MAIN CHARACTER VS BATMAN, WHO WOULD WIN?

No
contest. Sigrid Novak would kick Batman’s butt. It’s not Batman’s fault. After
all, Sigrid Novak has all the genetic and bionic advantages, as well as the
kind of years of training that would leave Bruce Wayne envious. I believe
Batman would literally never see her coming.

ON A SCALE OF 1-5 WHAT WOULD YOUR BOOK GET FOR THESE
ACTUAL MPAA RATING DESCRIPTIONS

Violence: Five!

Language: I’d
give it a two, but apparently TGfA is full of cussing. Let’s go with
three.

Drug
Use: While TGfA gets a one for recreational use, it definitely
scores an eleven when it comes to pharmaceuticals. Hey, we’re
talking full-on genetic recombinants here!

Sexual
Content: Yes, please — I mean, five!

Non-stop
Ninja action: Ooh! Definitely a five. Yes. Five.

MILD PERIL

Salty
language and innuendos: Check

Jungle
adventure terror: Does a forest count? How about concrete jungle?

Brutal
and bloody Viking combat: Sadly, no
vikings. *sighs*

Comic
horror, violence and grossness: What’s an adventure without a stomach
churning moment or two?